It has been a while, so that means it must be time for me to
fight some more fantasy!
Today I enter the Deathtrap Dungeon! By Ian Livingston.
I roll poorly I think for my statistics resulting in a
SKILL – 11 STAMINA – 21 and LUCK – 8
I am as always entering the fray with my trusty Sword,
Backpack, Lantern, Leather Armor, 10 provisions and a single potion of Luck for
this adventure.
In the small provincial town of Fang Baron Sukumvit has
decided to bring prosperity to his people by building a great dungeon full of
wicket monsters and fiendish traps. Offering a purse of 10,000 gold to anyone
who can complete the maze inside and survive the people far and wide flock not
only to attempt the challenge (of which, none have returned) but to celebrate
in the merriment and watching of those who dare to enter. Five years have come and gone and none have
completed the journey and so I take up my opportunity in hopes of greater
fortune.
The day of the competition start I meet the other five
contestants. Two Barbarians, an Elf with
a bow, a gallant Knight and a Ninja. Of
the six of us participating I enter the dungeon fifth by random draw behind the
Knight, Elf, Barbarian and Ninja. The
crowd cheers and I hope that fortune will favor me.
I entered the dungeon and in the first chamber there was a
table with six boxes each containing what I assume to be the names of the
contestants as one was labeled with my name.
I opened it and found 2 gold along with a small note from Sukumvit wishing
me luck. I moved forward to the north
until I encountered an east/west junction with a white arrow painted pointing
east along with three sets of footprints.
To the west was a single set of foot prints. I chose east to follow the others.
I followed this path until I reached a room containing a
large bell. While I personally always
ring big bells when given the opportunity, the character I’m playing decided
not to. It just seems to me like ringing
a bell in a dungeon is like inviting everyone to a dinner in which you’re the
main course. I continue west but the
tunnel soon veers north and I encounter two hobgobolins fighting over a sack on
the ground. I ambush them, killing one
before they know what’s happening and the other though he gives me a little
trouble is soon dispatched as well. The
bag they were fighting over was a small jug containing acid which I stow into
my pack for possible future use.
I continue north and the tunnel turns east again when I
enter a room with 12 wooden poled poking out of the ground. Very karate kid of the book, so I balance
atop the poles to cross the room assuming the floor would fall out from under
if I just walked. I am successful in crossing
save the fact that one of the poles explodes sending sharp splinters into
me. I move along east to another unction
where I apparently turn north whether I want to or not. I pass a junction that could go east but I
continue north. I eventually come to a
room containing a large idol with emeralds for eyes and two stone birds
nearby. I smell the obvious trap but
what the hell.
I climb the statue and almost fall, but manage to make my
way up. I pry the left eye loose and
sure enough the birds come to life and attack me. In my precarious position, I have a difficult
time fighting them of but eventually manage to kill them, though I suffer many
wounds in the process. After fighting
the birds, I sit to eat four of my provisions bringing me back to full health
before heading north again where I encounter a junction leading west that ends
in a doorway or I can continue north. I go
through the door which slams behind me.
The room is dark and a booming voice announces that I should speak his
keepers name. I can either hail Sukumvit
or declare that he is a worm. A worm I
say! The voice announces that Sukumvit
is proud that I have spirit and grants me a magic ring that will grant a single
wish to aid me. I take the ring and
leave the room.
As I continue this way I come across an area with a column
of blue light with laughing faces floating in it. Creepy.
I choose to move carefully around this and continue. I come to an eastward door that I enter
through into a room of fetid stench and warm air. A pit is in the far end of the room with a
shiny dagger in it. Unfortunately, it is
surrounded by giant maggots. Still, I am
as usual unable to resist treasure and so I reach in and grab it with no
trouble. On the way, out though I am
attacked by a large fly who apparently is upset I took its baby’s
treasure. I manage to avoid its attack
and escape to the hallway where I continue north until I reach an east/west
junction and must make another choice in direction. I choose east.
Soon I reach a pit in the floor with a rope dangling from
the ceiling over it. I smell trap for
sure, so I choose to leap the chasm.
About 3 feet from the other side I realize that I’m not going to make it
and fall into the pit. My pack cushions
the fall but I still suffer not only damage but lose a point of skill as
well. I move around in the darkness of the
pit and find something round and smooth that I stuff in my pack. I spend a lot of time climbing out but
eventually make it and examine what I stuffed in my pack find a round
ruby. Sweet. I move east again which then curves north
where I find a door. I enter to a room
full of statues and an old man who asks me a riddle threatening that if I
answer incorrectly I’ll be turned into a statue much like a Knight that I
recognize as being the first man into the dungeon before me. I correctly answer (though I admit I asked my
wife for help on this one), and as a prize he empowers me giving me +1 to my
Skill, Stamina and Luck. I exit and head
north.
I pass a door on my left that has an X carved into it. Continuing north I eventually feel the
hallway shake and hear a rumbling as a boulder falls from the ceiling and
begins to roll towards me. I huff and
puff as I run away from it (very Indiana Jones) and barely reach that X door in
time. Lucky me it was unlocked. Inside I find a skeleton in armor sitting in a
chair with a scroll in its hand. I take
the scroll and naturally the skeleton wakes up.
After a short fight in which I lose a couple HP I read the scroll which
is a rhyme about how to defeat a Manticore.
Something to look forward to I suppose.
I examine an alcove in the wall which reveals some stairs leading
downward into a room filled with debris and mushrooms. Never truffle with the humongous fungus. I pass on eating the fungus and head up some
stairs on the other side of the room.
Eventually I reach a trap door and can hear two voices arguing on the
other side.
I burst through the doorway into the room, but the Goblins
here are alert and able to quickly draw swords on me. It is a bit of a long fight as I slowly kill
one while fending off the other and I take a few good cuts during the
melee. Examining the room, I find a
hammer and 10 iron spikes that I stuff into my bag before heading north. I go up the hallway to find a door with a
hand nailed to it, quite a grisly thing so I enter. Inside is a one-handed man chained to the
wall. He explains that he had attempted
the trials himself four years ago and failed.
A trialmaster (one of the dungeon operators) gave him the choice of death
or service for life. Eventually the man
tried to escape but failed and as punishment his hand was cut off and he was
chained in this cell for what was to be a year.
I free him and ask if he can tell me anything, but all he says is that
to win the trial you need to collect precious gems and that he knows no
more. Score, I have precious gems! And
now I know what I’m looking for. He
flees the way I came and I continue north.
I come to a place where there is a pipe sticking out of the wall and I
have the option to climb down it.
Considering I found a gem by failing a jump over a pit I’m not convinced
I’ll basically need to explore every nook in the dungeon if I want to win so I
crawl down the pipe.
My guess is rewarded with a small box I find in the dark
that rattles. As its dark, I stuff in in
my pack and back out of the pipe to open it.
There is an iron key and a sapphire gem; score. I continue heading north and eventually
encounter the slumped bodies of two dead orcs.
Apparently, at least one of my competitors is still ahead of me, I check
the bodies and find only a necklace made of bones and teeth which I choose to
take. When I put it on it turns out to
be magical and I get +1 to my Skill and Stamina. I continue to head north when I reach an
east/west junction and standing there is one of the barbarians who entered the
dungeon. We eye each other wearily and I
ask which way he intends on going, he says west so I wish him luck and go
east. Eventually my hall dead ends but I
find a note nailed to the wall, it reads; Beware the Trialmasters. No kidding…
I head back and encounter the barbarian.
We decide that perhaps an uneasy alliance for a while could be to both
our benefits and so join forces for now.
We continue west until we find a pit.
The barbarian suggests that he lower me into the pit with a rope. Convinced of a betrayal so quickly I tell him
perhaps he should go first to which he agrees though I can see the distrust in
his eyes. I lower him down with a rope
and when he reaches the bottom he tells me there is a tunnel leading
north. I tie the rope off to a rock and
climb down myself where we both head north up the tunnel.
To be continued….
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